Fear that hopes

Ro 8:14-17 - For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Slavery produces fear. Serving produces trust. When we don’t fear God, we will fear something else. Those who fear God receive a Spirit of Adoption that allows for an intimate relationship where instead of a cold, dead relationship, there is an intimate fatherly relationship. The Spirit bears witness that we are children of God, who have all the rights of being a son and a heir to all that is ours for inheritance. It is true that we will suffer, but it isn’t nothing to be afraid of, because we have the promise of a God who cares for us and a future inheritance awaiting us.

Fear works

Ac 10:1-8 - At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.” When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

This is a great story of fearing God and then being in terror of God. Cornelius gets both. Look at the description of him, a gentile and centurion. He was a devout man who feared God in such a way that his entire household had been influenced by his faith. And his fear of God worked itself out in works, as he gave money to the poor and prayed continually to this God. When he was praying he saw and angel and he was terrified. But, the angel spoke good words to him. The outworking of this faith that he had, which he didn’t fully understand at the time, the alms and the prayers, had become a memorial before God. And now he was going to be rewarded by sending Peter to teach them about the faith that he would come to know. This story is important on many levels. Faith should lead us to works. Fear leads us to faith. We will be influenced by our faith if we fear God honesty and personally.

Fear doesn't matter...

Ac 27:21-26 - Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on some island.”

I have always heard that the safest place to be is in God’s will, and this verse kind of proves that point. It really is about God’s purposes for us. We will live as long as he wants us to live and no more. God wanted Paul to stand before Caesar and Paul was going to stand before Caesar. There wasn’t any storm that was going to be able to change the plan of God.

Ac 9:31 - So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

I don’t think it is a coincidence that the church was being built up when it was walking in the fear of the Lord. And I think the comfort of the Holy Spirit is a direct result of walking in the fear of the Lord. When we fear God, meaning when we consider him above all fears, and obey him because of our fear of Him, we will be built up and comforted.

Ps 96:4-5 - For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

Our God is to be feared above all Gods. There is no God as great as our God. He has made the Heavens and the earth and all that are in them. He is sovereign over all the earth. Therefore nothing can happen outside his control. Though you may not have an angel come down today, be encouraged that God has a plan for your life. Nothing can keep you from that plan except yourself.

A fear that rules...

Ac 18:8-11 - Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

These are encouraging word from Paul who after a difficult experience with the Jews, was going to the Gentiles. I am sure Paul was both discouraged and depressed. His own people not only rejected Jesus, but also threatened Paul. The encouraging words to Paul are that God has chosen some in the place to believe in Christ and that he will be free from attacks for a period of time. As it is, he stayed there for a year and six months teaching the Word of God to them. When Christ said in a vision, “Do not be afraid,” he was basically saying, “Don’t fear them, fear me.” It is really one or the other. If Paul feared them more than God, he would not have been obedient to the command to stay and preach. Fear keeps us from obeying God. Therefore, fear rules our lives. Which fear will you allow to rule your life?

Fear that is elminated by peace

Jn 20:19-23 - On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”

It seems that Jesus has told the disciples countless times to fear Him only, but with Jesus now gone, and with only rumors of his resurrection, they are locked in a room because the fear the Jews. It is hard to blame them. After seeing how Jesus was brutally murdered, the disciples wanted none of it. Jesus had to prove that he was the only one to fear, and he first started with the physical barriers, a locked door. Jesus came and stood among them. Then, he said the words that eliminated all fear – peace. The word peace is a the Hebrew word shalom which is a word that both secures composure in difficult trouble and dissolves fear. He said it twice. Peace be with you and then he said that he is sending them out to do what he had done. And to give them the security and the assurance and the power, he breathed on them the Holy Spirit. Jesus would not always be with them, but the Holy Spirit would be, and the results would be the same: peace and not fear.

Fear that stays above ground

Jn 19:38 - After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.

This verse really stuck out to me. A disciple of Jesus but he was a secret disciple because of the Jews. It is admirable that he came and took the body of Jesus and buried him, and maybe this was his breakout time, where he didn’t care what anyone thought anymore. But it is clear that when we fear something more than we fear God, it drives us underground. We are not witnesses as we should be when we fear something that is not God. Fearing people or circumstances or religion or reputations can lead people to be less than disciples of Christ. Fear is detrimental to being a disciple of God because we allow something with more power to earn our worship. Is there anything you fear more than God right now that is causing you to go underground?

Fear that brings peace

Jn 14:25-27 - “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Peace and fear cannot co-exist. In order to have peace, there needs to be an absence of fear. The fear of God is the only thing that can replace the fear of man or the fear of the unknown or fear of loneliness. You can’t un-fear what you fear so that the only solution is replacing fear with a greater fear. In this case, Jesus is replacing the fear of losing Him with a Helper, the Holy Spirit. The reason they do not have to be afraid is because someone greater than fear will bring peace and with help you in time of need. When we fear our hearts are troubled and afraid. God’s peace assumes control in our chaotic life and hedges us in with love.

Fear that rules

Jn 12:15-19 - “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

Jn 12:42-43 - Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

The moment of truth has come. Which fear will win? Will it be the fear of God or the fear of Men? The same people who saw Jesus heal the dead man Lazarus were told not to fear, because their King, God, was riding in on a colt. Later, as the evidence was building, many authorities believed as well. But, they chose not to confess it because of the fear of man. There really is only room for one fear in your life, the fear of God or the fear of man. Whichever you fear more will ultimately rule your life.

Fear that get us where we are going...

Jn 6:16-21 - When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

It is amazing how circumstances can breed such fear. It was dark, Jesus had not yet come, the sea was rough, a strong wind came blowing, and they had rowed and rowed and yet had not reached their destination. Then to top it off, they see a man walking on the water. No one would fault the disciples for their fear. But, look how quickly their fear dissipates, when they hear the words of Jesus, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Fear turns into gladness and they got where they were going. This story placed 2000 years ago is not unlike our situations now, where darkness and stormy seas can lead to fear. May the words of Jesus calm our fear and right our perspective that God is in control.

Fear that leads to faith

Lk 23:39-43 - One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

What great timing for the “other” man to understand the fear of God. Whereas the one man was railing on Jesus, the other was fearing Him. That fear led to faith and salvation. This verse underscores the absolute necessity of fear. It was the fear of God that led Him to faith in God. The reply by Jesus is basically, “Do not Fear! You will be with me today in paradise!” That is the encouragement for all of us! We will be with Him today in paradise, too, if we fear Him as God and Savior. And if the end result is true, than there should be nothing for us to worry about all the rest of our days.

No fear in the Future

Lk 21:5-9 - And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”

As the signs appear for the end times, do not be terrified of them. Don’t worry about what other people worry about. Don’t be afraid of sign and destruction. Don’t go after them. These things are all part of what must take place. In short, fear me and don’t fear anything else.

faith and fear made practical

Lk 12:32-34 - “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

This command to fear not comes on the heels of the passage commanding the disciples to not worry about food or drink or what they will wear. We are commanded to not fear where our money will come from or how we will eat. God will take care of us. But, fear God by trusting Him. Fearing God requires faith. And as we fear God more than our needs on this earth, he will give us not only our daily bread but also the kingdom.

faith and fear and persistence

Lk 18:1-8 - And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

When we fear God, we will have faith. Faith produces godly fear. This will win out so that we can approach God in faith. This judge didn’t fear God, but didn’t want to be worn out by the lady. But it was her persistence that enabled her to keep going. Persistence is faith in action and if faith is the opposite of fear, this should be a great lesson for us.

The eternity of fear

Lk 12:4-7 - “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

We are not to fear those who can kill the body. We are only to fear the one who has authority to cast into hell or heaven. Our eternal destination is a lot greater than our life here on earth. Therefore, we can lead a fearless life if we have understood and believed in Christ for eternal salvation. The God who knows the number of hairs on our head is very much involved in our lives. We will not be forgotten. So, we need to fear God only in the difficult times. Nothing on this earth should make us fear.

A fear wrongly diagonsed

Lk 8:26-39 - Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

The people in village were afraid of this demon-possessed man. He was bound with chain and shakles and left by himself to be tortured by these demons. When Jesus came and cast the demons out, the fear of this demon-possessed man was now a fear of this man who had cast the demons out. Where the man who was healed and made whole began to go throughout the city to proclaim the goodness of God, these people in the village missed it. They had the wrong fear of God and thus missed (forever?) knowing the God of the universe. Sometimes it is common and easy to fear God wrongly. Instead of a fear that draws us in and teaches us how to live, they feared God and sent him away. We send God away as if he was some bad-luck charm and we don’t understand that that the fear of God is beginning of wisdom.

Faith must win over fear

Lk 8:40-42 - Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As Jesus went, the people pressed around him.

Lk 8:49-56 - While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.

The fear of his daughter dying led him to Jesus because He feared God more. But, when the news came that the daughter was dead, he must have given way to fear and sorrow. Jesus replies to him, “Do not fear!” He encourages him to have faith in Him and if you do, she will be well. Fear is cured by belief in the one who is worthy to fear. Jairus went from fear to faith because the one worthy of fear commanded it. How important it is that faith wins out over fear!

Fear makes Him bigger and me smaller

Lk 2:8-18 - And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

The shepherds experienced fear when they saw the angels. They were told "fear not" by the angels. And then they feared the angels and did not fear what society would think of them when they went and told the message to Mary and Joseph. Fear of God and no fear of man should be the norm in our lives. The shepherds who were the bottom rung of society were chosen to tell the greatest news ever. But, without a command to not fear God and an experience of fearing God, they wouldn’t have been the messenger. The more we fear God, the greater witness we will be. We need to grow in the fear of God by focusing on growing in the knowledge of the Holy one. The bigger he becomes, the the less about ourselves we will be.

Fear that leads to worship

Lk 8:22-25 - One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

The disciples were in fear of the water and the waves and of dying. They didn’t fear the God who was in the boat. God rebukes the wind and the waves and then basically equates faith with fear. If you have fear, you won’t have the faith required to believe in me in the storm. If we have faith, we will fear that which deserves to be feared, namely, God. When we have faith, our fear changes and instead of fearing the storm, we fear the one who can calm the storm. Our fear leads to worship and God is glorified.

The blessings and curses of Fear

Lk 5:1-11 - On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Again, a great example of how fear of God leads to a fearless (eventually) life. Peter recognized his sinfulness in light of the miracle of Jesus and was told “Do Not Fear” and then given a purpose for his life. Jesus said, “You will be a catcher of man!” What was it that Peter was fearing? He was fearing God because of His sin, as if someone were standing near you who could read your mind, who was perfectly holy and was powerful enough to do the impossible.

This example of how Jesus turned fear into purpose is astonishing. It should serve as an example to us that the more we fear and repent, the greater that God will use us. Instead of being crushed in his sin, Peter is elevated out of his fear with a new purpose and reason for living. The recognition of our sin leads to fearing God. The command to not fear is God calling us to live with power and security and joy in this world. The more we fear God, the less we will fear in this world to do that which God has purposed for us to do. Fear keeps us from doing the purposes of God.